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INDIANAPOLIS – Here’s our latest ‘hits and misses’ piece on 1075TheFan.com highlighting the good and bad from the previous game.
The Colts beat the Ravens on Sunday in a wild finish, with Indianapolis going to Baltimore and getting the 22-19 overtime victory?
What was the good and bad from the Colts (2-1) winning their first two road games of a season for the first time since 2013?
1. Hits: JuJu Brents
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JuJu Brents: Given all the time rookie JuJu Brents missed this offseason, that was quite the NFL debut for him. While Brents showed some head-turning physicality and had a key third-quarter stop in man coverage against elite tight end Mark Andrews, the Colts second-round pick made a massive play in the game’s opening quarter. With the Colts down 7-0, and Baltimore on the brink of pushing that margin to two scores, there was Brents showing some nice effort/recognition to go for the strip on Ravens running back Kenyon Drake, and then also showed an impressive effort to then jump on the loose ball. At that point in the first quarter, the Colts were desperate for something to give them hope. Leave it to Brents, who was replacing the benched Darrell Baker Jr. for making that play.
2. Hits: Matt Gay
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Matt Gay: Ok, so Matt Gay set an NFL record by making 4 field goals from more than 50 yards in a single game. Impressive. Duh. But how about we paint more of the picture? Those makes came outdoors in uncertain weather conditions. Those makes all came in the 2nd half or overtime of a game that was a one-score contest throughout. And Gay just trotted out there, booting make after make, right down the middle, no matter the pressure, with the NFL’s greatest kicker in league history on the other sideline. When you paint more of Day’s entire day, it just adds to how damn impressive hits performance was against Baltimore.
3. Hits: Top Running Back, Top Wideout
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Top Running Back, Top Wideout: Let’s place Zack Moss (30 carries for 122 yards) and Michael Pittman Jr. (9 catches for 77 yards) here. It was nowhere near a banner day for the Colts offense, which was to be expected. But the Colts got some must-have individual efforts from this duo. How big of a workload was that for Moss? Before Sunday, he had carried the ball more than 18 times in an NFL game just once in 4 years. And what a TD snag by Moss, too, on a third down in the opening half. Pittman made arguably the best play of his NFL career when he high-pointed a 34-yard reception in overtime to flip the field.
4. Hits: Defensive Line
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Defensive Line: Yes, again. For the third time in three weeks this season, the Colts defensive line played a major, positive role in this one. It was the Colts front which helped limit the Ravens to no plays of more than 20 yards. You continue to see sacks/strips off of those plays. This DL position group has probably been the best one of the Colts through the first 12 quarters of the season.
5. Misses: Passing Offense
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Passing Offense: Well, at least the Colts didn’t turn the ball over when they dropped back for their 49 pass attempts. Although there were some risky, risky moments of that. It was a rough day for the Colts moving the ball through the air. Gardner Minshew was sacked 5 times in 44 pass attempts. Minshew and the Colts had some major issues in identifying free rushers (i.e. Kyle Hamilton), taking advantage of that, or having the necessary pocket awareness to avoid those big negative plays.
